The Hofstra University baseball team has dropped the first two games of their weekend series against the College of Willam & Mary. On Saturday, March 29, the Pride’s late game rally fell short as they took a 4-3 loss to the Tribe, clinching the series loss.
The Pride fell to 10-16 with a 2-3 record against Coastal Athletic Association (CAA) opponents while the Tribe improved to 9-17 with a 3-2 record in conference play.
While neither team matched the previous day’s offensive output, which resulted in a 10-9 win for the Tribe, scoring was still plentiful. William & Mary struck first in the bottom of the second when Lucas Carmichael led off the inning with a solo home run down the right field line. Hofstra’s defense helped starting pitcher Tristan Nemjo by retiring the next three batters. Derek Holmes grounded out to third baseman Dylan Palmer and Charlie Iriotakis and Jamie Laskofski both flew out to center fielder Tyler Cox.
Nemjo, who pitched 6 ⅓ innings against the Tribe and allowed three earned runs on eight hits, walked two batters in the bottom of the third to place lead baserunner Jerry Barnes in scoring position. With two outs, Christian Rush hit a line drive to right center field to bring Barnes home for their second run.
Both teams were held scoreless until the bottom of the sixth when Nemjo gave up his final run. Jamie Laskofski hit a sacrifice fly to right fielder Luke Masiuk to bring Holmes home for the Tribe’s third run.
With one out, Palmer recorded a base hit to left field followed by a Michael Brown single up the left field line. Tyler Cox loaded the bases on a full-count walk, and Masiuk pulled a two-run single into left field, scoring Palner and Michael Brown to bring the Pride within one run. Both Masiuk and Cox stole a base, setting up CJ Griggs to bring Cox home on a sacrifice fly to Tribe center fielder Ben Parker.
Griggs’s sac fly tied the game at three runs a piece, but the Tribe reclaimed their lead in the bottom of the eighth. Tanner Sanderoff had entered the game in relief for Nemjo and induced the inning’s first two outs without much issue. With Parker on first base and Owen Wilson on second base, Sanderoff gave up the winning run to Anthony Greco, who brought Wilson home with an RBI single through the middle of the infield.
Masiuk led the Pride’s offense going 3-5 with a pair of RBIs. Only three other Pride batters recorded hits – Palmer, Michael Brown and Sean Lane.
William & Mary’s Reed Interdonato earned his first win of the season while Sanderoff took the loss after giving up the tie-breaking run in the eighth inning.
The Pride concluded their time in Williamsburg, Virginia, with a matinee against the Tribe on Sunday, March 30. First pitch was set for 1 p.m.
